RANT:
Another mascot "bites the dust". You guys may have read that the University of Illinois has finally bowed to the pressure of Native American groups and will eliminate their long-time mascot Chief Illiniwek. The Chief has been their symbol since 1926 and will make his last appearance on 2/21/06 at the Illini's final basketball game of the season. Isn't this getting a little silly? The Chief has always been portrayed as a proud and regal looking figure. Schools such as St. John's(Redman), Syracuse (Saltine Warriors) and Stanford(Indians) removed their once proud Native American symbols in the interest of Political Correctness. What's next- will an Irish group object to Notre Dame's "Fighting Irish name or maybe animal activists will seek to ban the hundreds of dopey looking team mascots? Did you know that the Cal State University at Long Beach baseball team is fondly nick-named the Dirtbags? I think that all the "dirtbags" of the world should unite and have this mascot eliminated. The point is- aren't there more important issues to tackle?
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ODDBALL BASEBALL BOBBING HEADS
We consider a doll to be an oddball if they are either from a limited series or cannot be attached to any particular group. Most collectors are aware of the standard series of sports bobbing heads from the 60's. Baseball has the Colored Base, White Base, Green Base, Gold Base, Wedge Base and mini series, but there are certain dolls that fall outside the scope of these series.
(BATHING BEAUTY, SWEEPER, CRYBABY, SCREWBALL & STEALING SECOND DODGER WEIRDO'S)
Probably the most interesting are the L.A. Dodgers and San Francisco Giants Weirdo series. By all accounts, they were only sold on the West Coast and mostly confined to those two cities. They are simply incredible looking. They combine a Major League team connection with very comical themes. We know of seven different Dodger Weirdo's. We have named them The Sweeper, Grouchy, Crybaby, Screwball, Stealing Second, Bathing Beauty and the Fly Swatter. They all have goofy faces that remind many of the Marx Weirdo toy line of the early 60's. Each has either a decal on the base or a hangtag with a humorous saying. They are all considered rare with the Bathing Beauty and Fly Swatter being nearly impossible to find. Several of these dolls can also be found with black faces.
(GROUCHY & CRYBABY GIANT WEIRDO'S)
The Giant Weirdo's mirror the Dodgers faces and sayings and although we have seen only a handful in over 20 years, we assume that the same styles were produced. The Giant Weirdo's are incredibly rare- so expect to pay in the thousands for each one.
(DON DRYSDALE SERIES- BATTER, CATCHER & PITCHER)
There's another oddball series of L.A. Dodgers bobbing heads. They are commonly referred to as the "Don Drysdale" series. They all have realistic faces and are of a pitcher, catcher and a batter. Again, these were most probably sold either regionally or at the Dodgers souvenir stands.
(UMPIRES)
There are other team issued dolls that we've seen including the N.Y. Yankees and Houston Astros. The Mets sold a Mr. Met bobbing head both at Shea Stadium and through mail order. Many collectors group it with the Gold base dolls, but technically it was never part of that series. Another interesting baseball theme is the "umpire". There were a number of different umpire dolls and although they are not part of any particular series, they display beautifully with any of them.
There's too many oddball dolls to list and more than likely more will surface, so keep your eye out for these rogue dolls as they certainly will enhance your collection.
NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC- "Just When I thought I was Done..." by Rob Greene (thoughts on collecting S.F. Giants memorabilia)